PREVENTABLE DRUG TRAGEDY MOURNED

Police Say Driver In Orem Crash Had Longtime Problem

OREM - For years, Utah County law enforcement officers had been trying to
stop 29-year-old Bryce Gregory Collings before he could hurt anyone with his
penchant for driving under the influence of drugs.

But in the early morning hours of April 11 on the streets of Orem, their
efforts apparently failed.

According to police, 59-year-old Lynne Denny of Orem was driving east on 800
North, unaware that the maroon car heading straight at her was being driven
by a man whom court records show had been convicted at least eight times for
drug possession and driving under the influence of drugs.

Records also show that time and time again, judges in Utah County spared
Collings prison time.

Police said Denny died instantly when the car driven by Collings crossed
into her lane and struck her vehicle head on.

More than three months later, prosecutors with the Utah County Attorney's
Office filed felony charges this week against Collings for the April
incident. According to Orem police, Collings was arrested Thursday morning
at his Orem home, facing two second-degree felony counts of automobile
homicide and drug possession.

But some local law enforcement officials, as many have said before about
drunken driving cases, are calling the charges too little, too late. They
say the justice system not only failed Denny and her family but Collings as
well.

"They're missing the big picture here," said Sgt. George Alexanderson of the
Utah County Fugitive Apprehension Team. He believes judges, in particular,
are treating drug addicts as if theirs is a personal problem and not a
threat to the community.

For their part, prosecutors point to overcrowded conditions in jails and
prisons and the priority given to dealing with other serious crimes.

A Troubled Man

Before that tragic April day, police knew Collings to be a troubled young
man; a good kid all around, but with a serious drug habit.

"I actually arrested him three times in about a three-month period," said
Sgt. Kris Hendrickson with the Utah County Major Crimes Task Force. The
first time was in Orem, when Hendrickson said he pulled Collings over and
found a pocket full of meth. The next week Collings turned up in American
Fork. "He was trying to get rid of his dope at the time and he swallowed
it," Hendrickson said. Two weeks later Collings turned up again in American
Fork, driving a car while high on drugs and a meth pipe sticking out of his
pants pocket.

Booking logs at the Utah County Jail show that since 1994, Collings had been
booked, mostly for investigation of driving under the influence of drugs, at
least 25 times. Court records show that Collings' adult criminal history
began five months after his 18th birthday when he was sentenced to serve 15
days in jail for unlawful purchase of alcohol by a minor. In September 1994
Collings was given 26 days in jail and 100 hours of community service for
drug dealing.

In 1996 Collings was charged with felony drug possession, DUI-drugs and
driving on a suspended license. In a plea bargain struck with prosecutors,
the DUI and license charges were dropped. He was ordered to serve 90 days in
jail with work release. He would violate his probation several times due to
other drug possession arrests. Between 1998 and 2000 Collings would face
more felony counts of dug possession.

It wasn't until 2001 that a 4th District judge threatened Collings with
prison time for a felony, engaging in a criminal enterprise, obstructing
justice, giving false information to police and possessing drug
paraphernalia. Court records show the judge stayed the prison time and
ordered him to serve 270 days in jail, plus 36 months on probation. In
November 2001, Collings was sent to jail, police said, but not for long.

Even at the time of April's fatal accident, Collings had only been out for a
few weeks.

Angry Lawmen

Police believe Denny's death was a tragedy that could have been avoided and
are angry that judges and prosecutors have not taken drug users as a serious
threat to the community's safety.

"When they said it was Bryce Collings," Hendrickson said, "I said 'What!
What the hell was he doing out of jail, what was he doing driving again?' "

Unfortunately, police say drug users like Collings are the rule rather than
the exception. "It's a daily cycle, it happens in Utah County daily,"
Hendrickson said. But once a drug user is arrested, the individual's fate
depends upon what charges prosecutors file and ultimately what sentence a
judge imposes.

Deputy David Knowles of the sheriff's Fugitive Apprehension Team said
Collings' case is an example where he believes prosecutors aren't taking
drug cases seriously enough.

"They just see them as just 'druggies,' " Knowles said, and fail to realize
that about 90 percent of thefts, robberies and other crimes are associated
with drug users.

Hendrickson said he believes the justice system also failed Collings
himself.

"He's a screwed-up kid, but he comes from a good family. He has a brother
that is in local law enforcement, and I tell you, it's really tearing the
family apart," he said.

Since the accident, Collings managed to recover from internal injuries he
suffered in the crash, only to be arrested and charged again with driving
under the influence of drugs, drug dealing and drug possession before his
arrest.

When asked why there was such a delay in filing charges in the head-on
collision, Deputy Utah County Attorney David Sturgill said they were waiting
for a toxicology test to determine if Collings was indeed under the
influence.

"What we were trying to determine is if this was a horrible accident or
something else," Sturgill said. Shortly before the arrest warrant was
served, Sturgill said toxicology tests came back and showed that Collings
apparently had high levels of methamphetamine in his blood the day of the
accident.

Higher Priorities

Responding to the officers' comments, Sherry Ragan, Utah County attorney
criminal division chief, said her office is also frustrated with the
sobering realities of overcrowded jails and prisons.

"We certainly share some of the same frustrations," Ragan said, speaking on
behalf of county attorney Kay Bryson, who is on vacation. "A lot of times we
would certainly like to see stiffer sentences."

However, Ragan believes Utah County judges are simply trying to deal with a
fact that prison sentences for drug addicts are low on the state prison's
priority lists as inmates to be held in overcrowded facilities.

"Priority is given to more serious crimes, such as murder and child sex
abuse," she said.

Collings is expected to appear in 4th District Court next week to face the
automobile homicide charge.